A MAJOR fire in a West Somerset village which broke out on Monday evening was still being fought by fire crews on Tuesday afternoon (May 2).

Two thatched cottages were destroyed and other properties damaged in a terrace of houses in Porlock Weir.

Twenty-six appliances in total were at the scene in Worthy Toll Road having been mobilised from fire stations across a huge area of Somerset and Devon, including Martock, near Yeovil, and Cullompton and Torrington, in Devon.

At any one time there were 12 fire crews actively fighting the blaze and stripping thatch from the houses.

Other stations were called in to provide relief for exhausted personnel, usually after four to five hours of active firefighting.

By Tuesday afternoon the crews were using a thermal image camera to locate hot spots and cooling them with a hose reel jet as one pumping appliance remained at the scene.

A Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue (DSFR) spokeswoman said during a major incident the brigade’s fire control staff ensured strategic cover was provided for towns from which appliances had been called.

The spokeswoman said: “We have emergency procedures and plans in pace during any major incident to ensure we can provide cover for concurrent incidents across our service area.

“Thatch fires spread rapidly and they are extremely difficult to extinguish, so many homes are sadly destroyed.

“We have a lot of experience in dealing with thatch fires and we will always ensure we send as many resources as possible to these incidents so that we can save as much of the property as possible, including the contents of the property.”